A Family Friend
by TWDFan135
Summary: Dani was an old friend of the Dixon family. Her brother was friends with Merle and Daryl. She and Daryl have a rough start but they soon start to have feelings for each other. Will it bloom into something more? Daryl/OC Rated T for language. Starts just before Season 1, "books" based on the seasons. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Dani had been walking for miles. She had collected enough fruit and berries for ten smoothies, and had blisters and bruises that would probably take weeks to recover. She was down to two bottles of water, three granola bars, and four handfuls of other various fruits and nuts. Dani carried it all in her messenger bag. All her other clothes and items were in the suitcase she'd been dragging, through the woods, for the past 15 miles. Her last "refuge" was as gas station bathroom. Dani stayed one night, "foraged" enough gas station goodies for a week, and left the next morning.

Dani practically lived in the trees from then on. By nightfall she'd be safely strapped in a tree. She'd fall asleep and dream about either the day's actions or the past. Before the outbreak, Dani was a clerk at the local grocery, but during her free time she mastered hand-to-hand combat. She was also a licensed trainer at the shooting range. Not that she knew about the impending apocalypse, it's just something she loves to do. But she does prefer using her hunting knife; quick and quiet.

As she was walking, Dani heard other footsteps. She quickly dropped her suitcase and climbed the nearest tree. She learned to climb the backside of the tree, then to circle behind the backside of the tree to get a view of whom- or whatever was coming. This time it was two guys, one just about bald and the other with messy, brown hair. From where Dani was, they couldn't see her; at least she hoped they couldn't. The pair then noticed her suitcase. Messy Hair motioned for Baldy to come look. The bald guy then proceeded to go through the suitcase.

Dani decided now was a good time to introduce herself. "Didn't yer mama ever tell ya it's rude to go through a lady's things?" he southern accent clearly showing. She held in a smile as the two looked for the voice. Her branch was low enough to the ground, so she jumped down. Messy Hair pointed a crossbow in her face as soon as she was on her feet. Dani threw her hands up and backed away a little. She got a better look of the two up-close. Messy Hair was somewhat attractive; as attractive as it could get with their weapon in your face. Baldy looked familiar, but Dani couldn't put her finger on it…

"Merle Dixon?" the name escaped her lips without thinking. "Is that you?" Dani asked again. A smile began to cross the man's face. "Danielle Moore, what chu doin' out here?" Merle laughed. He opened his arms and Dani gave him a hug. The man with the crossbow looked confused. "Oh, where er my manners? Baby brother this is Danielle. Danielle this is Daryl. She's the only clerk I'd check out my cigs and beer with." "Why?" asked Daryl, not bothering to shake Dani's outstretched hand. Putting his arm around Dani's shoulders, Merle said, "Why, she's been a friend of the Dixon family for years, baby brother! Danielle here is Ellis' little sister. You 'member Ellis, don't cha?


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take much to convince Merle to let Danielle ("I said you can call me Dani") come with them back to camp. Merle started talking about the many times he got arrested and the reasons why. From the looks of it, Daryl had already heard these stories before because he started chewing on his thumbnail. Dani tried her best to pay attention, but her eyes kept wandering to Daryl. She decided to ask Daryl a question since Dani was done hearing about cops getting punched in the face. "So what were you guys doing out here?" Dani asked. Merle went down his own his own path. "I'll see y'all back at camp!" he yelled.

Daryl mumbled something about attracting walkers. "Well we weren't out here looking for yer ass, that's for sure." Daryl finally responded. _What's his problem?_ Dani wondered. Granted she hadn't known him long doesn't mean he has to be a jerk. She decided to change the subject. "What'd you do before all this?" Dani asked, motioning their surroundings. "What I do now, hunt." answered Daryl, "Got anymore stupid questions, Sunshine?"

Once they got back at camp, Daryl went to his tent, not even bothering to introduce Dani to the rest of the group. Dragging her suitcase, Dani meets Dale, who introduces her to the rest of the group. "Let me take this for you." Glenn, the Asian boy offered. Dani met Shane, the leader of the group, Lori and her son Carl, Carol, her husband Ed, and their daughter Sophia. She also meets Morales and his family, Andrea and her sister Amy, T-Dog, and Jacqui. Dani's only thoughts were where the hell she was going to sleep. Before she forgot she handed out equal amounts of her stash of berries and nuts. "What are yer skills?" Shane asked, "Can you shoot, defend yerself?" Dani showed him her combat skills by putting him in a chokehold. He patted her arm and asked if she could shoot. "Seven years training people at the shooting range answer your question?" Dani answered jokingly. "What'd ya do before all this?" asked Shane.

Dani couldn't help but laugh at Shane's face when she told him she was a grocery store clerk. "You better close your mouth 'fore a fly gets in there!" Dani joked. Then she showed him her knife throwing skills. "I prefer up-close kills, ya know?" explaining her accurate aim. She noticed Daryl came out with everyone to see Dani throw her knives. When she went to retrieve them, Daryl stopped her. "Where'd ya learn to do that?" "Oh ya know. Some old motorcycle gang." Dani said.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Dani said, "My dad made me and my brother play darts hours on end." "Hmm. (Did he just smile?) What was yer brother's name, again?" Daryl asked. "Ellis. Last I heard he was headed to Savannah." Dani answered sadly, "And when I was walking, I passed Savannah. Barely made it out alive." "That's a shame" Daryl concluded and slowly walked away. Grabbing the last knife, Dani made her way to the RV. She sat down at the table, exhausted. Dale gave her some leftovers. Dani ate and fell asleep, right at the table.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Dani woke up around 3:00am. She went outside and sat by the dying fire. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard someone ask, "What are you doing up so early?" Dani let out a relieved laugh. "Are you kidding me? This is the closest I've been to eight hours of sleep in a long time." "Well not long enough." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It's only been 4 hours." Daryl said. Dani blushed and said, "It's at least half."

It felt weird sitting outside with Daryl. It was quiet for the longest time. Dani was one for quietness but Daryl obviously wasn't voted "Most Talkative" in middle school. Dani, not able to stand the quiet anymore, asked about Daryl's weapon/killing preferences. She learned that he always carried his crossbow, has one knife and one pistol, and that he'll use a shot gun only when he has to. Dani told him that she'll only use a gun if there's a bunch of walkers; she had a rifle but lost it, and mainly uses knives for up-close kills. "I have, like, 4 knives, so if ya need one just ask." Dani said. Daryl nodded his head in agreement.

A couple hours later Glenn, Andrea, Morales, T-Dog, Merle, and Jacqui volunteered to go into Atlanta and get food and clothes. Dani noticed that Merle made racist jokes more and more. She also noticed the racy comments he made about Amy and Andrea. But Dani couldn't let Merle go without a hug. For a split second she thought what would happen if he grabbed her bottom. She also thought of what Daryl would've done. Dani turned her head and saw Daryl staring at her and Merle.

After the goodbyes, Dani wanted to go for a swim. She asked the rest of the group who wanted to join her. Only Carl, Amy, and Sophia said yes. As the four made their way down to the quarry, Dani told Carl and Sophia to run ahead. With Amy being the closest girl to her age, Dani and Amy talked about the stuff they did before everything happened. Carl and Sophia were already splashing in the water. Dani wasn't sure about what to do with her weapons.

Dani finally decided not to swim. She sat on the edge watching the woods as the three swam and splashed. Dani, getting bored, took out her knives and tried to order them biggest to smallest, and vice versa. It was kind of hard because the hunting knives were the same size. _I guess I'll put 'em in alphabetical order_ Dani said to herself. As she got to work, Carl, Sophia, and Amy were still playing. That's when their squeals of laughter turned into screams of terror.


	4. Chapter 4

Dani looked up to see the decaying creature limp towards the swimming trio. "W-W-Walker!" Amy shrieked. As she grabbed one of the knives, Dani yelled, "Amy, get to camp and warn the others! Carl, Sophia get to your parents, NOW!" As Dani turned back to the walker, she saw two more shuffled out of the woods. AS she cursed under her breath, Dani grabbed two more knives. There was no use in trying to hide. All three of the walkers were shambling towards her.

Dani took a deep breath, closed one eye, and threw the first knife. It hit the closest walker in between the eyes. She took the second knife and stabbed it in the side of the next walker's head. Dani pulled her wrist towards her and she heard the tell-tale crack. For the last walker, she ran at it, did a crouched spinning kick to get it off its feet, and then proceeded to stab it in the head multiple times. When Dani was done, her whole upper body was covered in blood. She turned to see the whole camp staring at her.

Dani couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face. She made them realize she was a force to be reckoned with. She killed three walkers- by herself! She… looked like a psycho killer. Shane and Daryl came down to check the walkers. "Y'all right?" Shane asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just had an adrenaline rush, s'all." Dani said. She saw Daryl nodding his head in approval out of the corner of her eye.

Later that day, Dani could not stop apologizing to Lori and Carol. She finally got the message when Carl and Sophia accepted her apology. Once she got that off her chest, Dani went looking for Daryl. "Daryl left last night to go hunting." Dale told her. Did she hallucinate him that morning? Why was she hallucinating Daryl? Before she could answer her own question, she heard a car alarm coming up the mountain.

Glenn turned out to be driving a stolen car. Dani stifled a laugh when everyone was yelling. Jim finally turned the car off which got the group somewhat quiet. Dani started counting heads of the people coming back. She thought Morales said something about helicopters when she noticed someone else get out of the cube van. He was wearing a police uniform. That's when Carl screamed, "Dad!" It made her think of her family.

Dani's father was in the military. Her mom worked at the local doctor's office. Dani and Ellis got what they usually wanted, but they weren't spoiled. Ellis was Dani's older half-brother, but she loved him still. He taught her how to shoot, and in return she taught him how to throw knives. They lived in the backwoods of Georgia; all they had was each other. Dani still remembered when a boy broke her heart for the first time…


	5. Chapter 5

Dani's daydreaming was interrupted by Glenn's hand waving in her face. "Hey, what are you smiling about?" he asked. "Oh, this time when my brother punched a boy in the face for breakin' my heart." She said. Dani laughed at Glenn's shocked expression. "Don't worry, it was only _minor_ injuries!" Dani assured Glenn. But then she noticed that Merle wasn't there. "Where's Merle?" she asked.

"He did what!?" Dani screamed. Glenn tried his best to keep up with Dani, but her rage made her a fast walker. She was gonna give this "Rick" a piece of her mind, something she got in trouble many times for doing so. Dani got right in Rick's face as she said, "So yer just gonna handcuff a guy to a rough, huh?" Rick was doing his best to calm this stranger down. While she was yelling, Rick motioned for Shane to grab her from behind. As soon as Shane was close enough, Dani flipped him over her shoulder.

"Tried to sneak up on me, huh? Didn't I…" Dani was boasting when Rick grabbed her arms. Dani's arms were tied together and she was sitting under a tree. Shane and Rick came down to check on her. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I guess I was just mad about Merle and..." Shane cut her off. "Just forget it. I shouldn't a tried to grab you." Shane apologized. "Why don't you come and join us, if you're calmed down." Rick offered. "Sure, why not?" Dani said as she shrugged her shoulders.

That night, Rick talked about how he woke up in an abandoned hospital. Dani wanted to make amends so she reintroduced herself to Rick. "My name's Danielle Moore. I was a clerk at a grocery. My father was Jason Moore, my mama Chelsea. I had a half-brother named Ellis, but I don't know if he made it." As the whole group stared at her, Dani wondered if she said too much.

Dani was relieved when Rick went over her and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Dani." He said with a warm smile. Rick sat back down and started explaining what happened on the roof. "And that's what we tell Daryl?" Dale asked. "I don't know about you, but I don't see a reasonable conversation coming from that." _He's right_, Dani though, _When he gets back, Daryl's gonna be pissed._ She decided to go sit at the table and sleep.

The next morning Dani woke up at 3 o' clock, again. But this time she had no one to talk to. She fell back asleep outside and woke up about three hours later. Everybody was up and moving. The kids were playing, women were doing laundry, and who knows what the guys were doing. Dani decided to grab a shovel and practice her "swinging." Then, one-by-one, the children started screaming.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone ran towards the screams. Lori and Carol grabbed Carl and Sophia and moved out of the way. There was a walker eating a deer with suspicious arrows sticking out of its flank. Dani noticed she was the only girl out there. All the guys started hitting the walker. Dani got herself some strikes in the thing's back. But Dale got the final kill by chopping its head off.

There was a rustling in the leaves and Shane pointed his gun in the direction of the noise. "Sonuva bitch!" Dani's heart fluttered at the sound of the raspy voice. "That's my deer!" Daryl yelled. "I was gonna cook us up some venison. But cant thanks to this dirty-disease carrying-toxic-motherless-bastard!" the angered redneck cried in between each kick. "Don't s'pose we could cut off this chewed up part right here?" Daryl asked while pulling out his arrows. "That would be a bad idea." Shane said. The unattached head all of a sudden came back to life and started chewing the air. "Come on people, what the hell?" Daryl said as he shot an arrow, "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nuthin'?"

"Merle! Get yer ugly ass out here!" Daryl yelled. Dani knew that Daryl was gonna be furious, but she did _not_ expect him to throw the squirrels on his shoulder at Rick. Her heart nearly stopped when Daryl pulled out his hunting knife. Luckily, Shane put him in a chokehold. She wasn't entirely sure about how she felt seeing Daryl struggle the way he was. Shane finally let Daryl go and Daryl went to his tent.

Dani finally convinced Shane and Rick to let her go talk to Daryl. "Just be careful." Shane called. "Yes, sir." Dani said under her breath. She never told anybody but she had a crush on Daryl when they were younger. But for some reason he didn't remember her. In Dani's head, she knew that nothing could or would happen between them.

Dani sat on the ground as she tried to calm Daryl down. "Just yesterday I felt the same way you did. Wanting to kill Rick and everything, ya know?" Dani confided. "Is that s'posed to make me feel better, Sunshine?" Daryl asked. "No. But maybe this will. When Shane tried to grab me, I flipped him over my shoulder." Dani said. This time Daryl laughed. Well not laugh but chuckle. But it made Dani's heart beat a little faster either way.

Dani had just walked out the tent when Daryl called her back. Hey Sunshine, come back here for a minute." He called. "That's what you're calling me now- Sunshine?" Dani asked. "Just come here." Dani could not believe what happened next. Daryl gave her a hug! Dani looked into his eyes, blushing (_Quit blushing god dammit!)_, as he ever so gently lifted her mouth to his.


	7. Chapter 7

After Dani left the tent, Daryl came out saying he was going to go back for Merle. Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog all offered to go, too. Dani was about to say she was going to when Shane stopped her. "There's too many people going already," he said, "And you women can't handle yerselves out there anyway." Dani had a few choice words for Shane but Dale pulled her to the side and asked if she wanted to take watch. She gladly accepted the offer. It would be a perfect place to think.

While Dani was on the RV, she thought about the kiss. Was it just to blow off steam? Was he just teasing? No, Daryl didn't seem like that sort of person. Was it a real, passion-filled kiss? What would have happened if she hadn't walked out? A small part of her wanted to find out.

Dani's watch shift was over so she went down to the quarry. Before she left, she told the group not to come down there, unless they were girls. She had brought soap and an extra change of clothes. The water was colder than she thought, but it still felt good to be clean. She wondered if the reason Daryl left so quickly was because she walked out. Was he mad at himself? Or worse mad at her? No, he left to get his brother back, right?

Dani went and sat in the RV to talk to Dale. They talked about books they read and the ones they liked. "You've been looking a little glum lately, what's the matter?" Dale asked. "Oh, I've just had a lot on my mind." Dani said. "If you don't mind me asking, what's on your mind?" he asked. Dani smiled; Dale was so sweet and polite. "I was wondering if you'd let me keep this book. It's one of my favorites." She lied.

Although she felt bad about lying to Dale, Dani couldn't just come out and say she and Daryl kissed. "And I also feel like something bad's gonna happen tonight." She said, telling the truth. Dale smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's just nerves," as he patted her shoulder. Dani was trying to climb the ladder of the RV when Shane tried to stop her. "Listen, I'm not in the mood, so leave me alone." Dani said before Shane could say anything else. She'd brought a bat and her hunting knives. The only thing she didn't have was a gun.

Dani stayed up there for a long time, and she wasn't coming down until they got back. It was getting dark and everyone was eating the fish Amy and Andrea caught. Amy went to the bathroom and when she came out, complaining about the lack of toilet paper, a walker around the side and bit Amy's arm. A bunch of walkers came out of the forest and screams filled the air. Everyone started making their way towards the RV, but Dani jumped down and started bashing brains in. Shane was the only one with a gun and all the guys were using tools they found lying around. That's when the sound of multiple gunshots filled the air.


	8. Chapter 8

Dani looked towards the woods and saw four people walk out. She didn't look too long because a walker was right in front of her. There wasn't enough space for her bat so Dani whipped out her hunting knife. She stabbed the walker in the mouth but the knife was at the wrong angle. Dani yanked her knife out of the walker, kicked it in the chest, then went behind the walker and stabbed it in the side of its head. She stood up and wiped the dirt off her pants. Dani picked up her bat and continued killing walkers.

"So you didn't find him?" Dani asked even later that night. "No but we found something of his. His belt." Daryl couldn't bring up the hand. "What took y'all so long?" Dani questioned. "Well, Glenn got taken hostage and we think Merle took the cube van." Dani ran out of the tent to give Glenn a quick hug and an apology. She also gave Daryl a hug and whispered, "Don't worry we'll find him," in his ear. "About this morning…" Daryl started.

"I just wanted… You're just so… I needed…" Daryl hit himself in the head, not being able to get the words out. Dani put a finger to his lips, "Shh, it's okay. I like you, too." As Daryl's ears started turning red he said, "I've never really had a girl like me back." Dani laughed and kissed Daryl. This time, it was a real, passionate kiss. She knew because his fingers were tangled in her hair and her arms were locked around his neck. They could've gone on like that forever, if it weren't for the footsteps.

"Whadda you want?" Daryl said, putting on his best tired voice. "Sorry for waking you up. I was just wondering if you could help move the bodies." Glenn asked. _Was it morning already?_ Dani wondered. "Yeah, why not?" Daryl said. Dani decided to leave the tent a little after Daryl so no one got any ideas. It's not that they _did_ go that far, it's just that she didn't want anyone to think that. Dani didn't even know if anyone would notice.

When Dani left the tent, she bumped into Glenn. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he apologized. "It's alright, Glenn. Do you have any ibuprofen? I got a headache." She said. "Yeah, there's some in my bag. It's in the RV." Glenn said. "Thanks." Dani said as walked towards the RV. She looked over to Andrea leaning over Amy's dead body. Dani found the book bag and reached inside. "Holy shit! What is that!" she screamed.

Almost the whole group had to squeeze in the RV to see what Dani was screaming about. Daryl knew what was going on and told everyone to leave. "'Cept you. I might need yer help explainin'." He told Rick. As Rick and Daryl told Dani what happened, she sat down at the table to keep from falling. Dani stood up and went outside. She grabbed a pickaxe and started to put down the walkers and fallen survivors. All sorts of emotions poured out as Dani put the axe through walker's heads. Daryl just shrugged his shoulders and joined the girl he was in love with.


	9. Chapter 9

Dani took a break and leaned on her pickaxe. She felt a twinge of sadness as she looked around at some of the survivors she had grown close with. She looked over to see Glenn yelling at Daryl and Morales for almost putting a downed survivor in the burning pile. Dani almost felt bad because Glenn looked scared because he yelled at Daryl. She was about to help Jacqui move a body when Jim stumbled over and said he had it. She heard Jacqui ask about the blood on Jim's shirt. Jim whispered, "Don't tell anybody." Dani spun around to see Jacqui back up and say, "Jim's bit."

Rick, Shane, and Daryl all told Jim to let them see the bite. T-Dog grabbed his arms and Daryl pulled up his shirt. Sure enough there was a round bite mark on Jim's side. Jim kept saying, "I'm OK," over and over. Shane told Jim to sit down and pulled everyone else over to the side. "What should we do?" Shane asked. "Get this thing done and over with. Get rid of him and her. That girl's a time bomb. I could hit a turkey between the eyes at this distance." Daryl said. "How would you feel if it was you?" Shane asked. "I'd thank you while you did it." Daryl retorted.

Just as Daryl was about to hit Jim with a pickaxe, Shane and Rick pulled Daryl away. "Y'all brought this on yourselves! Leavin' my brother on a roof!" Daryl yelled. Dani went over to Daryl. "Daryl, what is wrong with you? I can't believe you'd do that! What if I was bit? Would you still try and kill me while I was living?" Dani asked. Daryl didn't have anything to say to that. Dani went over and sat down on the ground. She heard growling and looked up. Amy was coming back and Dani thought Andrea was going to let Amy bite her. Then Andrea shot Amy in the head.

The "funeral" they had was short and quick. The whole group decided to leave the quarry for the CDC. Except for Morales, he was taking his wife and kids to their other family. Dani went and sat in Daryl's truck. She leaned her head back and dozed off. She woke up to Daryl shaking her arm. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing just letting you know it was me." Daryl said. Dani smirked, "Who else would drive your truck?" Daryl rolled his eyes.

The drive was quiet, just like the first night. Since Dani and Daryl were technically an "item" Dani decided to act like a "normal" girlfriend. She scooted closer to Daryl. She laid her head on his shoulder and ran her hand through his hair. Daryl looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. He looked forward and slammed on the brakes. Dani flew forward and hit her head on the dashboard. She shot a glare at Daryl and he gave her an apologetic look. _Way to ruin the moment, Romeo._ Dani thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Dani looked forward and saw the reason why Daryl slammed on the brakes. The line of cars had slowed down. It looked like they were letting Jim sit under a tree. Daryl got out and walked over to the others. Dani sighed and grabbed the spot on her head where she hit it. It was gonna bruise, she knew it. Dani laid her head back again, waiting to get moving. She looked out the window, her eyes searching.

Daryl climbed back in the truck and started it. He threw Dani a quick glance and stifled a laugh. "What?" Dani demanded. She looked in the mirror. There was a red spot where she got hit, nothing too bad. "Nuthin' it was just really funny when you hit your head." Daryl said. Dani gave a sarcastic laugh and turned her head. "Aw c'mon, don't be like that!" Daryl said as he kissed her head.

The rest of the ride was still silence, oddly enough. But this time Dani was snuggled against Daryl's body, with his arm like a protective blanket over her. Soon enough, Daryl was shaking her awake again. Dani rubbed her eyes and sat up. She looked out the window, and the place looked deserted. She cautiously got out of the car as Daryl handed her a gun. Dani scanned their surroundings, noticing all the dead walkers lying on the ground.

As the group moved closer to the building, the sky was getting darker. Everyone was saying that the place was abandoned but Rick wasn't hearing it. He kept banging on the metal doors and the sound was attracting walkers. Dani looked at the building, trying to see if she could find anything that could help them gain entry. Walkers were getting close so Shane, Daryl, Dani started shooting them. Shane started pulling Rick away, back to the cars. Rick said he saw the camera move and he started screaming, "You're killing us! We have women, children. Please help us!"

Shane kept trying to pull Rick back to the car, telling everyone to go, too. Dani looked at Daryl and he nodded. She started jogging to the truck when a walker came around the side. Dani screamed and shot the walker in the face. She ran back to Daryl and he asked if she was ok. Dani was on the verge of crying and Daryl held her slowly making his way towards his truck. That's when the metal doors opened and a bright light shined on the group.


	11. Chapter 11

As Dani's eyes adjusted to the bright light, a man said, "Are any of you infected?" Rick answered, "One of us was, but he didn't make it." The man said, "If you have bags go get them now. Once those doors close, they won't open." Dani ran back to the truck as fast as she could and grabbed her and Daryl's bags. Once everyone was inside the man swiped a card and the metal doors closed. The mystery man was holding an assault rifle and said, "You'll all have to submit to a blood test." Dani grimaced; she hated needles.

Dani was the last one to get her blood drawn, but she was ok because Daryl was holding her hand. At this point, Dani didn't care if the group knew that they were together. After the test was done everyone got in the elevator to go down. "Doctors always packing heat like that?" Daryl asked. "I had to familiarize myself, but you all seem harmless enough. Except you, I'll have to keep my eye on you." Jenner said to Carl. Once they got underground, Jenner said, "There's hot water and cots and couches to sleep on." Dani looked at Daryl with a smile on her face. Daryl raised an eyebrow.

It felt good to have hot water run down Dani's back again. She almost screamed when Daryl came in and put his hands in front of her eyes. Feeling Daryl's body pressed against hers made Dani feel… good. She turned around and kissed Daryl. Wrapping her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist was heaven on earth for Dani. After Dani got out of the shower she got dressed and went to the kitchen. The group was drinking wine and having fun.

Dani sat down at the table next to Glenn. Glenn had drunk his first glass of wine and was about to stop when Daryl said, "Keep drinkin', little man. I wanna see how red your face can get." That got a laugh out of everyone. T-Dog offered Dani a glass, but she declined. "Sorry, I don't drink." She said. It was nice to relax and not worry about the outside world for once. After the little party, Dani went to the rec room where Carl, Sophia, and Carol were playing checkers. Dani went to go lie down in one of the rooms. A little while later Daryl came in and lay with her.

That night Dani had the best sleep she had had for a long time. In the morning Dani went to the kitchen and sat down. T-Dog had made some eggs for breakfast. Glenn was sitting at the table, rubbing his head. "Ugh, don't let me ever drink again." He said. Shane walked over and sat down. "What the hell happened to your neck?" T-Dog asked. Dani noticed the look Shane and Lori exchanged when Shane said, "Must a done it in my sleep."


	12. Chapter 12

Dani looked over and saw Jenner, looking out of it. He stood up and said he wanted to show the group something. Everyone followed Jenner into a room that was full of computers. Jenner showed the group a video of how the virus spread throughout the brain. A bright flash went across the screen. "He shot his test subject." Andrea said. Dale said, "I don't want to be a bother, but why is that clock counting down?" Everyone looked to Jenner, expecting an answer.

Jenner answered, "It's when the generators run out." "What happens when the generators run out?" Rick asked. "VI, what happens when the generators run out?" _When the generators run out of fuel, full decontamination of the building will commence. The air will heat up to temperatures of 700 degrees Fahrenheit or more. _The robotic voice said. Every one grabbed on to their loved ones and started crying. Daryl grabbed an axe and started banging on a set of metal doors Jenner closed. "Those doors are meant to withstand a rocket launcher." He said smugly. "Yeah but yer head ain't!" Daryl yelled as he ran towards Jenner. Shane and Rick pushed Daryl back once again.

Shane pointed a gun in Jenner's face, yelling for him to open the doors. Jenner finally swiped a card and the doors slid open. "Come on let's go! We have 4 minutes left!" Glenn screamed. Daryl and Dani ran to their room and grabbed their things. She noticed Daryl forgot his crossbow and she grabbed it. "Hey, you forgot this." Dani handed Daryl his weapon. They were running up the ramp when she heard Jacqui say she was staying. Dani turned around but Daryl grabbed her hand and pulled her with him.

Rick, Shane, and Daryl were trying to break the glass but it was apparently anything-proof. That's when Carol came up to Rick and handed him something. Dani couldn't tell what it was until Rick propped it against the window. It was a grenade. She ran and jumped to safety, getting rug burn on her arm in the process. The whole side of the building exploded, making an exit bigger than an elephant. Everyone ran to their vehicles, killing walkers at the same time. Dani got in the truck and started to hyperventilate.

"Hey, hey it's alright." Daryl said rubbing her back. Dani started to take deep breaths until her breathing was stable. She looked towards the building as Dale and Andrea climbed out. They started running towards one of the barriers as the building exploded. Dani and Daryl ducked down for protection. Dani pulled her knees to her body and leaned her head against the door. Daryl pulled out of the parking lot and followed the others. He looked towards the road, listening to her soft snores and thinking.


End file.
